Physical training equipment



July 30, 1968 P, ELlA El AL 3,394,934

PHYSICAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 27, 1965 4 sheets-Sheet l Inventors Pz-veas [1/4 /44 144 A ttorneys v July 30, 1968 EUA ETAL 3,394,934

PHYSICAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 27, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3/ 30 24 flgi- 29 I nvenlors 7,7 raw.

A itorneysv.

Jul so, 1968 P, ELM ETAL 3,394,934

PHYS ICAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 27, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 In ven tors Pine 2 #1 k/x/ [4/4 A tlorneys July 30, 1968 P. ELIA ET AL 3,394,934

PHYSICAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 27, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' I nuentors PE Teas fl #1 K/K/ E4 M km r am A tlorneys 3,394,934 PHYSICAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT Petros Elia and Kiki Elia, both of 7 Lowther Hill, London, England Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516.526 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Jan. 27, 1965, 3,633/ 65 12 Claims. (Cl. 272-72) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Physical training equipment in the form of a rowing machine comprises a wheeled trolley running on inclined rails, adjustable in inclination, and forming the side members of a frame. A seat pivotally fixed at its forward end to the trolley can be rocked about its pivot by toggle mechanism between the seat and trolley at their rear ends. A user on said seat performs a rowing action on a hand grip attached to a cable running over pulleys on said frame and said trolley, whereby to actuate said toggle mechanism and thus rock the seat (while supporting the users weight) during the time the user moves the trolley along the rails by leg action bearing against a foot rest in the frame.

This invention relates to physical training equipment and more especially to rowing machines. The invention may be regarded as a development from, or modification of, equipment illustrated and described in the specification of copending patent application No. 386,706 filed on July 31, 1964, and now Patent No. 3,261,606.

The invention consists in a rowing machine for physical training comprising rails, a wheeled trolley running on the rails, a seat on said trolley pivoted to said trolley at its forward end, mechanical means at the rear of the trolley and seat, adapted when operated to lift the rear end of the seat away from the trolley, and means, operable by rowing action by a user sitting on said seat, for actuating said seat-lifting means.

The rails may be the side members of a tubular frame. This frame may be supported on legs, and may at one end have an upstanding headstop, and at the other end a foot rest. The foot rest may be adjustable in relation to the frame. Manually grippable means to lift the seat may comprise a cross-bar connected to cables running over pulleys mounted in the frame and in the trolley, to an anchorage on the frame. The seat may comprise a seatframe pivoted at one end to the trolley, and at its opposite side carrying pivoted levers of which the free end cooperate with the trolley, e.g. having pins engaging in slots in the trolley. When these levers are moved by the cables they have a toggle action in relation to the seat frame, lifting it about its pivots in relation to the trolley. Since the users weight is borne by the seat the force which he must exert to lift the seat is dependent upon his weight.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description of one form (given, however, merely by way of example) which it may assume, and this description will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein States Patent 3,394,934 Patented July 30, 1968 ice FIGURE 1 represents in perspective a rowing machine in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 represents in enlarged side elevation a detail of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 represents in side elevation an alternative construction of detail which may be adopted in place of that shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 represents in perspective an alternative mounting for the trolley shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 represents diagrammatically the disposition of an operating cable in the machine shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 6 represents in perspective a modified rowing machine in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 7 represents in enlarged side sectional elevation the seat mechanism shown in FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a diagram of the cable arrangement whereby the device shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 may be operated.

In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner, as shown in the aforesaid drawings, a rowing machine for physical exercise comprises a tubular frame having two parallel side limbs 1 held together at one end by an upstanding inverted U-shaped head piece 2, and at the other end by an underslung U-shaped crosspiece 3, welded to the side limbs 1. A transverse tube 4 has upstanding side limbs 5 welded thereto and these members 5 telescope into the open lower ends of the head piece 2. Spaced holes in the side limbs 5 can be engaged by pins or bolts through holes in the sides of the head piece 2, and allow the setting of the footmembers 4, 5 to be adjusted. The member 3 constituting the other footmember of the frame is of fixed height and thus adjustment of the member 4, 5 allows the rails 1 to be inclined as desired, within limits.

An inclined tubular U-shaped frame 6 has side limbs 7 at an angle thereto which telescope into the open forward ends of the rails 1 of the main frame. The frame 6 constitutes a foot rest for a user of the equipment and can be adjusted to any desired position by telescopic movement of the side limbs 7 in the rails 1, and secured in position by suitable clamping means 8. The frame 7 may carry a foot board 9, and a cross-bar for pulleys, described more fully hereinafter.

Mounted on the rails 1 is a trolley comprising inverted U-shaped transverse strip metal cross-pieces 10 secured to fore-and-aft side walls 11. Transverse front and rear shafts 12 extend between and through the side walls 11, and at their outer ends carry wheels 13 (e.g. of nylon or the like) by which the trolley runs on the side limbs 1 of the main frame, serving as rails. A rectangular metal seat frame 14 is at its forward end pivotally mounted between bracket members 15 upstanding from the forward cross-piece Ill of the trolley. Pivoted to the sides of the seat frame near to its rear end, one one each side of the frame are toggle levers 16 which at their lower ends have outwardly projecting pins 17 engaged in slots 18 in the side walls 11 of the trolley. It will be seen that when the pins 17 are at the rear ends of the slots 18, the levers 16 become nearly parallel to the rails 1, and the rear end of the seat frame 14 is lowered towards the trolley Walls 11, whereas when the pins 17 are moved to the forward ends of the slots 18 the levers 16 lift the seat frame about its pivot, to the inclined position illustrated in FIGURE 1. A shaft 19 extends between the lower ends of the toggle levers 16. A suitable seat 20 is provided with screw holes to be detachably secured to the seat frame 14.

In operating a device such as described above it is intended that a user shall be seated on the seat 20 and seat frame 14 and shall then raise the seat frame 14 by operating the toggle levers 16 in the manner indicated above, whereafter he can by footpressure on the board 9 cause the trolley 10, 11 to move rearwards on the rails 1, all these movements simultating the rowing operations of a sculler. The actuation of the mechanism is preferably carried out by cable means running round the various pulleys provided, the cable means carrying at their forward end a transverse hand grip, and being secured by their rear ends to a suitable anchor point on the main frame. Pulleys for the cable are provided on the shafts 12 and 19, and on the shaft of the foot rest 6 previously mentioned, as well as on a transverse shaft of the foot rest 6 previously mentioned, and on a transverse shaft 21 mounted in the head piece 2 (or, as desired, in other adjusted positions determined by apertures 22 in the side rails 1 to receive the ends of the shaft 21).

One side of the operating cable system is shown in FIGURE 5. The cable 23 runs over a pulley 24 in the foot rest through an eye 25 in the lower part of the foot rest to the pulley 26 on the shaft 19 of the toggle levers 16. The cable runs from pulley 26 over the pulley 27 on the forward wheel shaft 12 of the trolley, and thence over pulley 28 on the shaft 21. From the pulley 28 the cable proceeds to the pulley 29 on the rear wheel axle of the trolley, and from there to an anchor point 30 at the rear of the machine, conveniently on the shaft 21. The forward end 31 of the cable is connected to a transverse bar or rod to serve as a hand grip for the user, and when this is pulled the cable first draws forward the pulleys 26, and with them the shaft 19, thereby rocking the toggle levers 16 to lift the seat, as above described. It will be noted that the user lifts himself on the seat, and in consequence the force which he has to exert is in proportion to his weight. When the seat is raised the trolley is caused to move rearwards, by leg operation, (the cable running over the various pulleys to allow this), while the user maintains his pull on the cable to keep the seat in the raised position. If desired a cyclometer 32 may be mounted on the trolley, in position to cooperate with the seat frame 14 in order to count the number of times the seat frame is raised and lowered during an exercise.

Various constructional details are illustrated in enlarged views in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. In FIGURE 2 is shown a pinion 33 secured to the shaft 19, engaged with a rack 34 secured to the side wall 11 of the trolley. In an alternative construction shown in FIGURE 3 a cam roller 35 on shaft 19 runs in the slot 18 to raise the seat. In FIGURE 4 is shown a part of an alternative main frame having channel side members 37 in which run rollers 36 of nylon or the like on the trolley shafts 12, operating in place of the wheels 13.

In a modified form of the rowing machine described above described strip-metal cross-members 10 fitted with ings, the main frame remains as shown in FIGURE 1, but a modified form of trolley seat is used therewith. As above described strip-metal cross-members 10 fitted with axles 12 and wheels 13 constitute parts of the trolley, but in this case are held in spaced relationship by side plates 38, the forward ends of which have upstanding lugs 39, and the rear edges of which also extend upwards as at 40. Each upstanding plate 40 has a horizontal slot 41 formed near to its top edge. Side limbs 42 of angle metal support a seat (e.g. such as 20, FIGURE 5), and each limb 42 at its forward end is pivoted at 43 to a lug 39 of a side plate 38. Under the rear end of each side limb 42 there is pivotally attached to the rear wheel axle 12 an upstanding link 44 which at its upper end supports a roller 45, having an axial pin 46 engaging in the slot 41 of the adjacent end plate 40. An axle 47 extending between the links 44 (and carrying the rollers 45) has fitted thereto pulleys 48.

The slot 41 is located rearwar-dly of the vertical plane through the axis of the shaft 12 on which are pivoted the links 44, and the links are rockable about the shaft 12 within the limits allowed by the slot 41. When the pins 46 are at the rearward end of the slot 41 (and the links 44 thus rearwardly inclined) the side limbs 42 supporting the seat are substantially horizontal. When the links 44 are rocked forwards, about their shaft 12, to a more nearly vertical position the side limbs 42 are lifted at the rear ends, by rocking movement about their pivots 43. To enable a user to rock the seat in this way there is provided, as before, a cable 23 running over the pulleys or rollers 24, 25, 48, 27, 28, 29 to an anchorage 30 on the frame (as shown in FIGURE 8), and at its front end running to a grip 31. When a user, sitting on the seat mounted on the side limbs 42, hauls on the cable 31, 23 the seat is rocked upwards, as described above, and at the same time the trolley can roll along the rails 1, as previously described, in the course of rowing exercises by the user. It will be seen that the force necessary to lift the seat about its pivots 43 depends in part upon the weight of the user on the seat.

From the above description it will be seen that the invention provides a convenient and effective rowing machine for physical exercise, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited solely to the details of the form described above, which may be modified, in order to meet various conditions and requirements encountered, without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A rowing machine for physical training comprising rails, a wheeled trolley running on said rails, a seat se cured at its forward end by a fixed pivot to said trolley, mechanical means at the rear of the trolley and seat, adapted when actuated to rock said seat about its fixed forward pivot by lifting the rear end of the seat away from the trolley, and means, operable by rowing action by a user sitting on said seat, for actuating said mechanical seat-rocking means.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said trolley constitutes a frame supported by wheels on said rails.

3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said seat comprises side supporting limbs pivoted at their forward ends to upstanding lugs of said trolley.

4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said mechanical seat-lifting means comprise toggle-lever means extending between the rear ends of said seat and said trolley.

5. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said mechanical means for rocking said seat comprise a toggle lever between said seat and said trolley at their rear ends, and having pivotal connection wtih one and pin and slot connection with the other.

6. A machine according to claim 1 comprising shafts for the wheels of said trolley, pulleys on said shafts, and cooperating pulleys associated with said mechanical seat-lifting means, for operation of the latter.

7. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a cable operatively associated with said mechanical seat-lifting means, having at one end manually grippable means for use by an operator sitting on said trolley seat in order, by pulling on the cable to actuate said mechanical means.

8. A machine accordin to claim 1 wherein said rails constitute the side limbs of a frame supporting said trolley.

9. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a frame movably supporting said trolley and a cable connected by one end to a fixed anchorage on said frame.

5 6 10. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a References Cited frame incorporating said rails, said frame being sup- UNITED STATES PATENTS ported at floor level by legs, and the legs at at least one end of the frame being adjustable in height to allow the 2924456 2/1960 Mlner 272 58 XR 3,261,606 7/1966 Elia et a1. 27272 frame rails to be ad ustably inclined to the hOIlZOIlifil. 5

11. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a FOREIGN PATENTS frame incorporting said rails, said frame being formed 719,167 10/ 1965 Canada. with a foot-rest forward of said trolley. 772,798 11/ 1934 France.

12. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a 161,441 9/1904 Germanyframe incorporating said rails, said frame being formed 10 of parts relatively adjustable to vary the length of the RICHARD PINKHAM Asslstant Examiner frame. ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. 

